SVG hosted nearly 300 people from across the Los Angeles production community for LiveTV:LA 2017. The event featured numerous highlights, including a keynote conversation with legendary producer David Hill and the latest installment of the Facebook Video Boot Camp series. Hill expounded on everything from the millennial viewer to why he’s so bullish on esports, darts, and continuing to evolve in the way he tells stories.

The event took place at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, CA and was co-located with SVG’s Sports Imaging Conference.

Widely considered the father of modern live sports television coverage, David Hill has been a journalist, news anchor, documentary producer/director, Emmy Award-winning sports producer and executive, network chief, and now independent producer.

He has executive-produced many of the world’s biggest television programs, from the Oscars to the Super Bowl to American Idol, and holds patents for such production innovations as football’s on-field first-down marker and the constant score-and-clock graphic (commonly known as the Fox Box).

In 2015, Hill started his own production company, Hilly Inc., whose first undertaking was to produce the 88th Oscars, which received critical acclaim when it aired on ABC in February 2016. That year, he also produced Alibaba Group’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival Countdown, as the international retailer sought to elevate its flagship event.

Australian by birth and a naturalized American, Hill began his career as a copy boy at the Daily Telegraph in Sydney. Later, he became a television journalist and then a documentary producer/director. Eventually, he shifted to live television production at Australia’s 7 Network and subsequently moved to sports at Nine Network, working with owner Kerry Packer to create The World Series of Cricket and Channel 9’s Wide World of Sports.

In 1988, after Rupert Murdoch lured him to England to help launch Sky Television, Hill became executive producer of Eurosport and created Sky Sports.

After the fledgling Fox Network gained the rights to televise the NFL’s NFC package in 1993, Hill became the first president of Fox Sports, launching a major network sports division in eight months. Over the next 20 years, he directly or indirectly oversaw the launch of Fox Sports Net, FoxSports.com, Big Ten Network, and Fox Sports.

In 1996, Hill was appointed chairman of Fox, and, in three years, the network jumped from No. 4 in primetime to No. 2 overall and No. 1 in the key 18-49 demographic.

Becoming president, entertainment, of DirecTV when News Corp. purchased it in 2005, Hill developed enhanced viewing experiences, such as NFL Sunday Ticket SuperFan and NASCAR HotPass.

During his time at the Fox Network and DirecTV, Hill continued running Fox Sports, which eventually grew into the Fox Sports Media Group in the U.S., later expanding worldwide. He oversaw thousands of events aired by Fox Sports and affiliated national and regional channels — including six Super Bowls, 14 World Series, five Stanley Cup Finals, and eight Daytona 500s — and was responsible for countless studio shows, including Fox NFL Sunday. Many of the techniques and innovations he introduced characterize today’s sports-television production.

Hill has been described by Murdoch as a “dynamic and imaginative leader who has changed the experience of nearly all major sports on three continents. Whether launching Sky Sports, the Fox Network, Fox Sports, or our regional sports networks, we owe him an enormous debt.”

LOCATION:East Ballroom

9:00 a.m.: Registration Opens

9:55 – 10:00 a.m.: Welcoming RemarksMike Savello, LiveU, VP, Sales

10:00 – 10:45 a.m.: Production Executive Roundtable: Production in the Digital AgeClick here for videoAs social media continues to rise as an important live event content distribution platform there is a ripple effect that impacts the way event operations are planned and managed. Experts in operations and production management take to the stage to share their tips to making sure ever-expanding production needs continue to operate smoothly.Moderator: Andrea Berry, Industry ConsultantPanelists:Frank Coll, NEP Group, Senior Account Manager, U.S. Mobile UnitsRandall Heer, Vista Studios, Founder/Partner and CEOTheresa Jackson, Fox Sports, Executive Director, OperationsLynn King, VER, Director of Crewing, Operations, and TravelJeff Proctor, ProAngle Media, Co-Founder and President

12:00 – 12:45 p.m.: Digital Leaders RoundtableHow are networks and production companies making use of social media platforms, OTT services, and more? Join us for this informative roundtable discussion among industry leaders and learn how to make the most of your social media strategy, create content that is digital platform friendly, and how things like AR and VR will play a role in the future.Moderator: Brandon Costa, SVG, Director of DigitalPanelists:
Daniel O’Brien, Cracked, Creative Director of VideoSam Silverstein, Pac-12 Networks, Head of Digital ContentJosh Snow, NBC Entertainment Digital, VP, Product

12:45 – 1:45 p.m.: Lunch

1:45 – 2:30 p.m.: Remi, @Home Productions, IP and the Changing Face of Live Event ProductionClick here for videoThe live event community is buzzing about Remi and @Home Productions and 2017 is shaping up to be as the year when IP-based production workflows enable productions teams to work in new ways. How will an end-to-end IP-based live event production facility change the way you go about your job? How does it improve the speed with which the production team can operate and get ready for an event? And what are the limitations and risks of leaving the world of baseband video behind?Moderator: Jeff Jacobs, Viacom Global Entertainment Group, SVP, Production Planning, Strategies, and OperationsPanelists:
Rick Phelps, Deluxe, SVP, Broadcast Sales
Leon Schweir, Pac-12 Networks, SVP, Production
Dave Shaw, NFL Media, VP, ProductionJonathan Solomon, Aspera (an IBM Company), Senior Sales and Systems EngineerLarry Thaler, The Video Call Center, CEO

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.: Esports Q&A: Producing the Esports RevolutionClick here for videoThe area of Esports continues to gain the attention of traditional broadcasters, traditional leagues, and even traditional sports teams. The Los Angeles market is the epicenter of much of the activity and leaders from the area discuss the current ins and outs of Esports and its role with sports fans.Featuring: Rob Mikulicka, ESL, Director of OperationsInterviewed By: Brandon Costa, SVG, Director of Digital

2:45 – 3:15 p.m.: Networking Break

3:15 – 4:00 p.m.: Soccer Goes Social: Inside Univision Deportes’ Liga MX and MLS Productions for Facebook Live Take a look at the work and strategy behind the production and streaming components that went into Facebook Live broadcasts of Liga MX and MLS matches.Speakers:Kevin Buskirk, Facebook, Partner Engineering Manager
Tim Greenberg, World Surf League, Chief Community Officer

4:00 – 4:05 p.m.: Presentation by Telescope

4:05 – 4:45 p.m.: Best Practices for Facebook Video SuccessReceive a full run through of the latest features of the social media platform and learn best practices in video publishing, production, and streaming.Speaker:Kelly Michelena, Facebook, Production Partnerships Lead

5:00 – 6:00 p.m.: Networking Reception

Sponsored by:
LiveTV:LA attendees will receive an exclusive opportunity to attend an intimate and interactive boot camp on the burgeoning world of Facebook Video. Featuring presenters from the Facebook team and content creators who have excelled in the live social space, guests will get exclusive insights into practical tips and best practices on how to make the most out of this new and exciting, global broadcast platform.

3:15 – 4:00 p.m.: Soccer Goes Social: Inside Univision Deportes’ Liga MX and MLS Productions for Facebook Live
Take a look at the work and strategy behind the production and streaming components that went into Facebook Live broadcasts of Liga MX and MLS matches.Speakers:Kevin Buskirk, Facebook, Partner Engineering ManagerTim Greenberg, World Surf League, Chief Community Officer

4:00 – 4:05 p.m.: Presentation by Telescope

4:05 – 4:45 p.m.: Best Practices for Facebook Video SuccessReceive a full run through of the latest features of the social media platform and learn best practices in video publishing, production, and streaming.Speaker:Kelly Michelena, Facebook, Production Partnerships Lead

Kevin BuskirkFacebook, Partner Engineer

Tim GreenbergWorld Surf League, Chief Community Officer

Kelly MichelenaFacebook, Production Partnerships Lead

Andrea Berry, Industry Consultant

For over 30 years, Andrea Berry has served as an award winning broadcast media executive for the FOX and CBS television networks. She led remote technical teams for high profile live events including the World Series, the Olympic Winter Games, NFL, NCAA, and NASCAR. As a broadcast operations leader, Berry held key roles supporting the technical operations and transmission of the networks’ content and her teams were instrumental in launching new cable and broadcast television networks. Most recently serving as the SVP of Broadcast Media Services, she oversaw the FOX Network Groups’ digital media management initiatives.

Berry earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology. She also holds executive certificates in management and leadership from M.I.T. and in new media management from USC. Berry serves on the boards of the NAB Education Foundation and the Sports Video Group. She was recently recognized by the Alliance for Women in Media for STEM Leadership in Media.

Frank Coll, NEP Group, Senior Account Manager, U.S. Mobile Units

Frank Coll is an experienced television industry executive with a hands on approach to management. His 30 plus years in the mobile television facilities industry have given him a very broad background in all facets of this business. From engineering to finance, operations, sales, and marketing, there’s not a role that he hasn’t played or wasn’t comfortable in.

Coll’s current role is to manage and maintain multiple major RSN contracts for the NEP Group in the Western United States. Among his clients are NBC Sports Bay Area/California, Pac-12 Networks, Spectrum SportsNet LA, and ROOT Sports Northwest. His primary focus is to ensure that a “platinum” level of service is provided on every event for every client. In his view are new sales and business development for NEP, particularly in Northern California, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii. Coll represents NEP at industry functions and on-site at events, in addition to providing insight to senior management and mentorship to developing team members.

Prior to joining NEP with the acquisition of MIRA Mobile Television in 2014, Coll had been the director of operations and business development at MIRA since 2009. This followed a 19-year stint as the senior vice president of operations for National Mobile Television in Los Angeles. Coll is a 1981 graduate of Ohio University where he was awarded a B.S. in communications, Summa Cum Laude.

Brandon Costa, SVG, Director of Digital

Brandon Costa covers the sports video production industry, with a focus on live streaming, over-the-top (OTT), social media, and other digital distribution technologies and platforms. He also directs SVG’s internal digital strategies launching the company’s video outfit, ‘SVG On Demand,’ designing and overseeing its mobile application, ‘SVG Mobile,’ and serving as executive producer and host of The SVG Podcast. Costa serves as program director of both the SVG College Sports Summit and the SVG Digital Summit. Prior to his time at SVG, Costa spent five years producing digital content for MLB Advanced Media.

Randall Heer, Vista Studios, Founder/Partner and CEO

Randall Heer is a new media, broadcast, and production technologies executive responsible for successful live event broadcast/remotes, studio production, and channel origination operations for over thirty years. Career highlights include Emmy Awards for Technical Excellence on Fox NFL Sunday, manager of engineering for the HD expansion of Discovery Networks, and leadership as engineer-in-charge for launches of 13 Fox Cable networks.

As CEO/co-founder of Vista Studios, Heer brings 4k technologies to Silicon Beach. Vista Studios, an independent 4k production studio in West Los Angeles, offers 4 stages, 17,000 sq. ft. of production stage space, and provides end to end solutions for content creators. Multi-cam/single cam production, encoding, transcoding, post production, transmission, LMS archiving, and channel origination are all available. All services are backed by high availability/live broadcast/redundant facilities architecture.

David Hill, Hilly Inc., President

Widely considered the father of modern live sports television coverage, David Hill has been a journalist, news anchor, documentary producer/director, Emmy Award-winning sports producer and executive, network chief, and now independent producer.

He has executive-produced many of the world’s biggest television programs, from the Oscars to the Super Bowl to American Idol, and holds patents for such production innovations as football’s on-field first-down marker and the constant score-and-clock graphic (commonly known as the Fox Box).

In 2015, Hill started his own production company, Hilly Inc., whose first undertaking was to produce the 88th Oscars, which received critical acclaim when it aired on ABC in February 2016. That year, he also produced Alibaba Group’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival Countdown, as the international retailer sought to elevate its flagship event.

Australian by birth and a naturalized American, Hill began his career as a copy boy at the Daily Telegraph in Sydney. Later, he became a television journalist and then a documentary producer/director. Eventually, he shifted to live television production at Australia’s 7 Network and subsequently moved to sports at Nine Network, working with owner Kerry Packer to create The World Series of Cricket and Channel 9’s Wide World of Sports.

In 1988, after Rupert Murdoch lured him to England to help launch Sky Television, Hill became executive producer of Eurosport and created Sky Sports.

After the fledgling Fox Network gained the rights to televise the NFL’s NFC package in 1993, Hill became the first president of Fox Sports, launching a major network sports division in eight months. Over the next 20 years, he directly or indirectly oversaw the launch of Fox Sports Net, FoxSports.com, Big Ten Network, and Fox Sports.

In 1996, Hill was appointed chairman of Fox, and, in three years, the network jumped from No. 4 in primetime to No. 2 overall and No. 1 in the key 18-49 demographic.

Becoming president, entertainment, of DirecTV when News Corp. purchased it in 2005, Hill developed enhanced viewing experiences, such as NFL Sunday Ticket SuperFan and NASCAR HotPass.

During his time at the Fox Network and DirecTV, Hill continued running Fox Sports, which eventually grew into the Fox Sports Media Group in the U.S., later expanding worldwide. He oversaw thousands of events aired by Fox Sports and affiliated national and regional channels — including six Super Bowls, 14 World Series, five Stanley Cup Finals, and eight Daytona 500s — and was responsible for countless studio shows, including Fox NFL Sunday. Many of the techniques and innovations he introduced characterize today’s sports-television production.

Hill has been described by Murdoch as a “dynamic and imaginative leader who has changed the experience of nearly all major sports on three continents. Whether launching Sky Sports, the Fox Network, Fox Sports, or our regional sports networks, we owe him an enormous debt.”

Theresa Jackson, Fox Sports, Executive Director, Operations

With over 35 years in the broadcast industry, Theresa Jackson has spent the majority of her career working as engineer in charge of Fox Broadcast Operations at Fox Cable Networks. She launched award winning channels like National Geographic, FX, Speed Channel, Soccer Channel, Fox Deportes, and National Geographic Mundo while training her team on new technologies.

As executive director, Jackson oversees the entire operations of Fox Sports Technical Services at the Fox Sports International building in Los Angeles. She serves as subject matter expert (SME) for Post and Production departments for On Air Promos and Operations. She researches and assists in the development of workflows geared toward advancing the production processes for Fox Deportes, FS1 and FS2 Soccer, FS1 UFC, Fox Soccer Plus, and Fox Regional Sports Network. All live and non-live productions that flow through the FSI facility via the Fox Broadcast Network fall under her supervision.

Jackson has been accountable for innovation which includes pursuing and managing relationships with client groups and strategic vendors, as well as implementing new processes, technologies, and workflows.

Jeff Jacobs is the senior vice president of production planning, strategies, and operations for the newly organized Viacom Global Entertainment Group. He also leads initiatives in support of the Music and Entertainment Group’s strategic priorities, including content development, production and distribution, cross platform opportunities, and digital growth. Jacobs concerns himself with the business of production and focuses on emerging technologies, network synergies, and production operations.

Jacobs was formerly vice president and executive in charge of production for MTV: Music Television. He has been with Viacom and MTV for ten years having joined the network as the coordinating producer of MTV Sports. Jacobs draws on his years of experience in television and multi-platform production to contribute to the creation and execution of a variety of the company’s strategic opportunities. Prior to joining MTV, Jacobs was with NBC’s Olympic Division where he ran much of NBC’s Olympic production operations in Sydney and Salt Lake City. He grew up at NBC Sports, starting out as an intern and later working a variety of roles from stage manager to associate director and production manager of several Super Bowls, NBA Finals, and sporting events worldwide.

Jacobs is constantly on a quest to discover the latest technology enabling new creative heights and higher levels of production. Also, he is developing strategic alliances with potential broadcast, social, SVOD, technology, and digital partners. Jacobs considers executive producing “RE-ACT NOW, Music Relief Telethon” for New Orleans as one of his proudest control room moments, and has been able to develop tentpoles and mega-programs like the Video Music Awards from one-night shows into week-long programming events. He takes pride in the pro-social work he is able to take part in, including MTV’s “A Thin Line” addressing texting abuse among teens and GYT, the “Get Yourself Tested” campaign.

Jacobs is the quintessential New Yorker having been born, raised, schooled, and living within the five boroughs all his life. He is a six-time Emmy Award winner, a Directors Guild of America member, a member of several non-profit boards including the Sports Video Group, and very active in the community.

Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Executive Director, Editorial

Ken Kerschbaumer is executive director of editorial services for the Sports Video Group and SVG Europe. He was a co-founder of SVG along with Paul Gallo and Marty Porter in 2005 and has been writing about how sports networks and leagues use video and audio technology to deliver a quality TV experience since 1991. Kerschbaumer began his career in 1991 at Television Broadcast magazine before joining Cahners where he was founding editor of Digital Broadcasting magazine. In 2000, he joined Broadcasting & Cable magazine as senior editor of technology where he covered all aspects of broadcasting, cable, and Internet content creation and distribution.

Lynn King, VER, Director of Crewing, Operations, and Travel

As director of crewing, operations, and travel for VER, Lynn King is currently building a new internal service experience from the ground up, designing a centralized organization along with the implementation and integration of customized and packaged software in order to streamline processes, increase communication, develop more visibility, and track project costs in real time; meeting the specific needs of the company as it continues to grow and expand. These software tools will allow VER to expand its ability to provide production services and labor across all VER platforms, including broadcast, concert touring, lighting, audio, and LED.

Prior to joining VER, King spent 18 years as executive director of operations at Fox Sports, where she was instrumental in building the foundation of both the Production Management and Crewing Departments. As part of a Fox Steering Committee, she collaborated on the development of an in-house event management and payroll system, bringing payroll in-house and providing crewing and travel tools needed to create new operational efficiencies designed to support Fox Sports live productions.

King started her career at Fox Sports as a production manager, with a primary focus on live remote sports, including NFL, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, and Collegiate sports. She spent her early career years in the entertainment industry, working as a production manager for Cinetel Productions and Disney MGM Studios.

Rob Mikulicka, ESL, Director of Operations

Rob Mikulicka is the director of operations at ESL, the world’s largest esports company. In this role, Mikulicka is responsible for the production and logistics of ESL’s competitive gaming events in North America.

Prior to ESL, Mikulicka spent the last decade in sports television serving as senior production manager at NBC Sports and manager at NEP Supershooters, a group dedicated to supporting the largest sports productions in the United States. In these positions, Mikulicka worked on and supported two Olympics, as well as golf, hockey, football, horse racing, action sports, and NASCAR productions.

Daniel O'Brien, Cracked, Creative Director of Video

Daniel O’Brien has been with comedy website Cracked.com since 2007. A mediocre Jack-of-some-trades, he has at one time or another handled writing, editing, performing, and directing. Currently, O’Brien is the head of video content development and is the author of How to Fight Presidents, a book you can buy. He is a New York Times Bestselling author and co-creator of After Hours and Rom.Com, two Cracked original shows.

Rick Phelps, Deluxe, SVP, Broadcast Sales

Rick Phelps joined Deluxe in 2017 to enable broadcasters to more simply capture opportunities in the evolving and complex television and OTT global market. Whether it’s Deluxe’s affiliate syndication and delivery services, localization, live events, or full end-to-end IP-based platform, Phelps helps customers from content acquisition through delivery to platforms and end consumers.

Prior to Deluxe, Phelps was head of sales for Amagi where he built the global sales and pre-sales team, working with top clients including AMC Networks, IMG, Viceland, Turner, and Scripps International. Prior to Amagi, Phelps held senior commercial roles at RR Media (MX1) and Chellomedia (Liberty Global), and also managed operational departments including Media Services, Account Management, Post Production, and VoD. At Chellomedia, he was instrumental in automating file-based workflows and was sought after to publish/present as a subject matter expert. As head of VoD, he oversaw the massive content ramp up for Liberty Global’s (UPC) VoD platform launch in Europe. Prior to Chellomedia, Phelps served as a consultant for Flash Logistics in Amsterdam, where he managed Pan-European logistics associated with the roll out of one of the world’s largest Tier 1 networks for UUNET (now Verizon), and set up the commercial initiatives and EMEA operations for Flash, prior to its 2006 acquisition by VHL Logistics.

Jeff Proctor, ProAngle Media, Co-Founder and President

Having worked his entire career in sports production, Jeff Proctor is a well-known and respected figure in the sports community. Proctor has worked for or with most of the major sports media outlets and teams in Southern California.

Proctor began his career in sports production at Prime Ticket in 1989, after graduating from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he also pitched on the Hoya baseball team. Proctor was a long-time presence at Prime Ticket (later to become Fox Sports West), eventually becoming the executive producer of Fox Sports West and West 2.

Proctor moved over to KCBS/KCAL where he was the vice president of sports for both stations, overseeing all sports programming. Prior to his accession to that position, Proctor was an Emmy-winning producer at KCAL where he produced telecasts for the Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Clippers.

In addition to running ProAngle, Proctor continues to work with other organizations. He was the head of broadcasting for the Special Olympics World Games 2015. Proctor has also served on a number of advisory boards including the Los Angeles Triathlon, West Coast Sports Associates, LA36, and the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance. He resides in Manhattan Beach with his wife Lisa and two children, Hannah and Will.

Leon Schweir, Pac-12 Networks, SVP, Production

Leon Schweir serves as the senior vice president of production for Pac-12 Networks. As head of production, Schweir is responsible for all studio and remote productions, as well as digital content for Pac-12 Networks. Prior to participating in the launch of Pac-12 Networks, Schweir was the executive producer/vice president of production for the Big Ten Network and part of its launch team. The veteran sports television production executive and winner of multiple national and local Sports Emmy Awards, has held senior level positions with MSG Network and Comcast/NBCSN/Versus.

Sam Silverstein, Pac-12 Networks, Head of Digital Content

Veteran content executive Sam Silverstein has led digital newsrooms at major media companies including Pac-12 Networks, Yahoo!, and NBCOlympics.com. He currently is head of digital content at Pac-12 Networks, where he sets the strategy and owns day-to-day editorial operations for Pac-12.com and the Pac-12’s social media channels. He also helps Pac-12 member institutions improve the quality and quantity of content on their official athletics sites and social media. Pac-12 Networks won Cynopsis Sports Media’s Best Use of Twitter award in 2014 and Best Overall Social Media award in 2016. Prior to joining the Pac-12 in 2012 to help launch Pac-12 Networks, Silverstein held a number of influential positions at Yahoo! including: senior director of editorial events (Olympics, World Cup, Super Bowl, Royal Wedding, Oscars), managing editor of the Yahoo! front page, and managing editor of Yahoo! Sports.

Josh Snow, NBC Entertainment Digital, VP, Product

Josh Snow is the vice president of product at NBC Entertainment Digital. In this role, Snow is responsible for driving product development and strategy for NBC branded digital experiences and show-based apps across mobile, web, and living room platforms. Prior to NBC, Snow has held various executive product roles at companies including Fullscreen, DIRECTV, Sling Media, and ESPN. A native New Yorker, Snow graduated from Penn State University and now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons.

In 2014, Jonathan Solomon joined Aspera, an IBM Company, bringing more than 20 years of system design, administration, and project management experience in media and entertainment. His vast experience in broadcast and IP allows him to routinely bridge the two worlds. Career highlights include architecting the WWE OTT Network, dark fiber network design, and project design and management for several multi-million dollar broadcast facilities.

Over his twenty years of broadcast engineering experience, Solomon has held a variety of roles with industry leaders. Prior to his role at Aspera, he was a senior engineering project manager at WWE, director of engineering for Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, and spent more than a decade as an engineer-in-charge, supporting remote television broadcasts. His travels as an EIC covered 45 of the 50 United States.

Larry Thaler, The Video Call Center, CEO, CEO

LarryThaler is CEO of the Video Call Center, a technology and content development company, and a Facebook Live Media Solutions partner, devoted to handling large numbers of IP Video remotes-by-smartphone and putting them on the air through patented workflow and assistive automation. Thaler joined the VCC team in 2015 after guiding business strategy and technical development as the company’s senior advisor for more than two years. He has more than 30 years of experience in the media business and has been honored with four Emmy awards for technical innovations. As vice president of technology at NBC Universal, he led key efforts at the junction of traditional broadcasting and new media. Later, Thaler was the chairman of Positive Flux, a media consulting firm that helps companies implement strategic technical changes. Thaler received a BFA in broadcasting from NYU with a minor in computer science.